For Archaeology Month in May 2009, the SGA chose the theme Mounds in Our Midst. Georgia’s archaeological landscape features numerous sites with artificial, human-constructed earthen mounds. Created by diverse Native American cultures, mainly between 500 BC-AD 1550, these remarkable monuments are evocative reminders of prehistoric societies that once flourished in every corner of the state.

Archaeology Month 2009 was devoted to a celebration of their survival and a meditation over their purpose and meaning. Long gone are the days when the impressive tumuli were explained away with reference to a lost race of “moundbuilders,” somehow distinct from Native cultures known to the same area. More than a century of archaeological study tells us that indigenous peoples are, in fact, responsible for the mounds. The same work has established that the mounds are not all the same but varied considerably in their design and purpose.

Also long gone are the days when Georgians could take prehistoric Indian mounds for granted. Because knowledge is the foundation for stewardship, Archaeology Month 2009 featured new research that is improving our sense of the place these ancient constructions held in the societies that erected them. And important among these efforts are creative solutions for preserving more mound sites from looting and destruction.

Take a look at a larger version of the poster by clicking here.

What an exciting day!

At the all-day 2009 Spring Meeting, held May 16th at Wesleyan College in Macon, we enjoyed formal presentations on current research and provocative ideas about many aspects of Georgia archaeology, touching on the theme of this year’s Archaeology Month: Mounds in Our Midst: Monuments of Prehistoric Culture in Georgia. Attending members received copies of the latest Early Georgia and our 2009 Archaeology Month poster.

The schedule allowed ample time to chat with other attendees. Over one hundred people attended the meeting—a grand success!

Perhaps the most important, and most fun, business was the unveiling of the ArchaeoBus, nicknamed Abbey! We learned that Abbey is one tough bus, or at least her bumpers are! We watched the champagne bottle loudly bounce away unharmed on the first strong stroke. Christener Tom Gresham upped the power level, and on the second stroke, the bottle shattered dramatically.

Abbey already has good karma, we think, since the rain deluge began only after the ceremonies. Teachers, librarians, and others are already reading about the ArchaeoBus on this website and asking how they can arrange a visit!

In short, your SGA is moving forward through 2009 with aggressive education and outreach activities, including both our own meetings, encouraging and publicizing Archaeology Month activities (May is Archaeology Month in Georgia!), and getting the ArchaeoBus on the road, doing both formal programs and less formal events.

Stay tuned for a more detailed report….

Oblique view of Ocmulgee National Monument, from Google Earth….

And don’t forget your (full) water bottle, sunglasses, and perhaps a snack.

The Lamar Mounds trip is on for Sunday, May 17th at 10 am. Meet at the Ocmulgee National Monument. We will walk to the site, a round-trip distance of three miles.

The report is that the road will be “muddy and wet and the mosquitoes are as big as a car.”

Be prepared! Bring water. Wear mud-tolerant boots you can walk three miles in. The route is 1.5 miles each way, for a total of three miles. You probably want to use an anti-insect product with DEET for the mosquitos and ticks.

And your camera!

Read the full meeting schedule here.

Here’s another incentive to attend the SGA’s Spring Meeting on Saturday, May 16th: the SGA’s brand new ArchaeoBus will be unveiled!

Attend the “christening” at 4 pm on Saturday! We’ll have door prizes, refreshments, and an interactive kazoo event! The new ArchaeoBus will be unveiled with a dramatic drumroll. We’ll break a bottle of champagne over the ArchaeoBus, too!

After the ceremony, visitors can tour the exhibits inside the ArchaeoBus and participate in hands-on activities under a tent next to the bus.

The ArchaeoBus is the SGA’s new mobile archaeology classroom. This is its first public event as it begins to tour the state, bringing archaeology outreach and education to the all!

Please adjust your schedule and join us in Macon for this super-fun event following the indoor session at the Spring SGA meeting at Wesleyan College, on Saturday, May 16th.

Make plans NOW to attend the SGA meeting May 16th and 17th in Macon. On Saturday, we’ll enjoy presentations at the Anderson Amphitheater in the Taylor Building on the campus of Wesleyan College. For those who stay over, on Sunday there’ll be a walking tour of the Lamar Mounds site south of Macon.

The theme of Saturday’s meeting is Mounds in Our Midst: Monuments of Prehistoric Culture in Georgia. Georgia’s landscape features numerous archaeological sites with artificial, human-constructed earthen mounds. Created by diverse Native American cultures, mainly between 500 BC-AD 1550, these remarkable monuments are evocative reminders of prehistoric societies that once flourished in every corner of the state. Archaeology Month 2009 is devoted to a celebration of their survival and a meditation over their purpose and meaning. Because knowledge is the foundation for stewardship, Archaeology Month 2009 features new research that is improving our sense of the place these ancient constructions held in the societies that erected them. And important among these efforts are creative solutions for preserving more mound sites from looting and destruction.

The ArchaeoBus christening is another highlight of Saturday’s schedule. It will happen at 4:00 pm, after the presentations. Come see the SGA’s latest big project unveiled!

Links

Click here for the full meeting schedule.
Click here for hotel information.
Click here for this year’s lesson plan.
Click here to read the list of this year’s Archaeology Month sponsors.
Click here to read about the Governor’s proclamation of Archaeology Month 2009.
Click here for Archaeology Month events around the state.
Click here for all Archaeology Month 2009 articles.

The SGA* has reserved a block of 30 hotel rooms at the Fairfield Inn near Wesleyan College for Friday, May 15-Sunday, May 17th. At this rate, check-in is therefore on Friday, and check-out is on Sunday morning.

If you stay here to attend the Spring Meeting, you’ll be among friends!

There are 15 King rooms and 15 Double Bed rooms available. The price tag is $89 + 12% tax, which equals $99.68/night. These rooms will be available to us until 5 pm on Monday, May 4th.

This hotel is just off of Zebulon Road, which is at Exit 9 on I-475 (the bypass that keeps folks from having to go through downtown Macon when traveling on I-75 North or South). Click here for the hotel’s website, and their Toll-free phone number is: 1-888-723-1777.

* Thanks to Stephen Hammack for doing the legwork on this….

Events are scheduled across the state in conjunction with Archaeology Month 2009, in May. SGA has prepared a brochure listing this year’s events.

Activities will be held across Georgia, from Cumberland Island to Augusta to Athens to Carrollton to Macon—and more! Learn about the Georgia Archaeological Site File in Athens on May 2nd! Go on a hayride on May 9th in Duluth! Attend Archaeology Day in Augusta on May 23rd!

SGA members will find the Society’s semi-annual meeting on May 16-17 at Wesleyan College in Macon to be the highlight of Archaeology Month this year!

To read more, download the schedule of events for Archaeology Month 2009 download the schedule of events for Archaeology Month 2009 by clicking here.

Monuments of Prehistoric Culture in Georgia

The Society for Georgia Archaeology is proud to announce the theme for presentations at our semi-annual meeting associated with Archaeology Month 2009: Mounds in Our Midst: Monuments of Prehistoric Culture in Georgia. The Annual Spring Meeting will be held over two days in Macon. On Saturday, 16 May, we’ll meet at the Anderson Amphitheater in the Taylor Building on the campus of Wesleyan College for a series of presentations. Registration is $10 per person. On Sunday, 17 May, attendees have the opportunity to join a guided tour of the Lamar Mound site, south of Macon; this site is normally closed to the public.

Georgia’s archaeological landscape features numerous sites with artificial, human-constructed earthen mounds. Created by diverse Native American cultures, mainly between 500 BC-AD 1550, these remarkable monuments are evocative reminders of prehistoric societies that once flourished in every corner of the state.

Archaeology Month 2009 is devoted to a celebration of their survival and a meditation over their purpose and meaning. Long gone are the days when the impressive tumuli were explained away with reference to a lost race of “moundbuilders,” somehow distinct from Native cultures known to the same area. More than a century of archaeological study tells us that indigenous peoples are, in fact, responsible for the mounds. The same work has established that the mounds are not all the same but varied considerably in their design and purpose.

Also long gone are the days when Georgians could take prehistoric Indian mounds for granted. Because knowledge is the foundation for stewardship, Archaeology Month 2009 features new research that is improving our sense of the place these ancient constructions held in the societies that erected them. And important among these efforts are creative solutions for preserving more mound sites from looting and destruction.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of an archaeology awareness promotion in Georgia. From its inception as a weeklong celebration in 1994, the observance has grown to an entire month of special public events, exhibits, and demonstrations in communities across the state; check our calendar for events we’ve heard about. The SGA serves as the primary sponsor of Georgia Archaeology Month. Co-sponsors include state agencies, private firms, and non-profit and professional organizations. Public outreach is a critical link in fostering better awareness of archaeology and a sense of stewardship for our state’s archaeological sites. The SGA advocates preservation, protection and interpretation of these fragile resources, including the dramatic monumental architecture, or mounds, that are the focus of this year’s Spring Meeting.

Meeting program

Saturday, 16 May

• 8:30 am • Registration begins
  Cost is $10 per person.
• 9:15 am • Dennis Blanton
  Welcome and Introduction
• 9:30 am • Kevin Kiernan
  A Little-Known Prehistoric Indian Mound on St. Simons Island
• 9:50 am • Dennis Blanton and Inger Coxe
  Mound Burials Across Two Millennia on the Georgia Coast: The Perspective from St. Catherines Island
• 10:10 am • Tom Whitley
  End of Days: The Legitimization of Chiefly Power and Earthen Mound Burial Practices at the Time of European Contact on the Georgia Coast
• 10:30 am • Break
• 10:50 am • Keith Stephenson and Frankie Snow
  A History of Mounds and Mound Exploration in Georgia’s Interior Coastal Plain
• 11:10 am • Tom Pluckhahn
  Rethinking Mound D at Kolomoki
• 11:30 am • Jim D’Angelo
  A Report on Preservation Efforts at the Fort Daniel Site in Gwinnett County
• 11:50 am • Lunch
• 1:30 pm • Adam King
  Latest Results of Geophysical Testing at Etowah and Ocmulgee
• 1:50 pm • Scot Keith and Dean Wood
  Mound Use On and Around the Leake Site in Northwest Georgia
• 2:10 pm • Jared Wood
  Mounds Abound! Mississippian in the Savannah Valley
• 2:30 pm • Break
• 2:45 pm • Mark Williams
  Behind Closed Doors: What Goes on in the Temples on Mississippian Mound Summits
• 3:05 pm • Jeffrey Glover and Georgia State University students
  Report on Documentation of the Flat Rock African-American Cemetery in Dekalb County
• 3:15 pm • Brief Business Meeting
• 4:00 pm • ArchaeoBus christening
  Parking lot.
• All Day Poster Presentation • Karen Smith and Keith Stephenson
  Analysis of Vessels from the Shelly Mound in Pulaski County, Georgia

Sunday, 17 May

• 10 am • Walking tour of the Lamar Mounds Site, Ocmulgee National Monument (conditions permitting)

Directions

Here are two maps that indicate where Wesleyan College can be found. Click on either to get to an interactive Google map of the area. Also, click here for information on a reserved room block for meeting attendees at a nearby hotel.

Are you curious about all this hub-bub over some old vehicle? Come satisfy your curiosity and see the brand new ArchaeoBus at its christening. The ArchaeoBus, (A.B or “Abbey” for short), becomes official on Saturday, May 16, 2009! The outside in its new splendor will be unveiled before your eyes. Walk through the bus to see the interior exhibit and storage areas. Examine table-top activities beneath associated tents around the bus as you enjoy light refreshments. This unique event will take place on May 16, 2009 at 3:30 p.m., following the last paper of the session at the Spring SGA meeting in Macon. The unveiling will occur in the parking lot adjacent to the Taylor Building (where the SGA meeting presentations will be given) on the campus of Wesleyan College. Won’t you join us?

Please visit our online calendar to read about events happening around the state for 2009 Archaeology Month! May is Archaeology Month in Georgia!

GARS and Friends of Fort Daniel (FFD), a special committee created for Fort Daniel preservation efforts, have had a lot going on since the last Profile. Since Fort Daniel’s listing as one of ten historic properties listed the Georgia Trust’s 2009 Places in Peril, GARS and FFD have submitted an application for a Georgia Trust preservation grant. The matching grant proposal is for the purpose of developing a master plan for a proposed Archaeological Park at the site of Fort Daniel in Gwinnett County. The master plan, to be designed by a leading Atlanta-based planning and landscape architecture firm, will initially be used in public outreach efforts that have as their goal raising public awareness of the importance of the site for local and state history, and promoting grassroots support for purchase of the site by the county. The firm has generously offered to return onehalf of their fee as the match for the grant.

The FFD, presently being chaired by a direct descendent of Major General Allen Daniel, John Hopkins, and GARS have already begun work on an ambitious Archaeology Month program that will include a half-scale replica of a portion of the stockade wall and corner blockhouse. The plan for this will be based on similar restorations at other late eighteenth and early nineteenth century forts, General Daniel’s written orders of how he wanted the 1813 fort built, and what has been learned so far from the archaeological record at Fort Daniel. Other things planned include an artifact and posterboard display, period reenactors, a blacksmith who will be making 1790s “Fort Hog Mountain Wrought Nails,” buckets of dirt salted with artifact replicas for children to screen, and the opportunity to do some archaeology as we look for another side of the stockade wall enclosure. The Fort Daniel Frontier Fair and Public Archaeology Day will be held on May 2.

The monthly general meeting of the Gwinnett Archaeological Research Society is held the first Wednesday of the month in Conference Room B at the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Place, Lawrenceville at 7:30 PM. Details about GARS meetings, projects, field trips and Fort Daniel can always be seen at our web site.

Primary Sponsor: The Society for Georgia Archaeology

Co-Sponsors: